How half our brain keeps watch when we sleep in unfamiliar places

Apr 22, 2016 08:18 am UTC| Health

Have you ever arrived in a hotel room after a long flight and, despite being exhausted, found it painfully difficult to fall asleep? And even once you managed to get to sleep, did you still wake frequently in the night, or...

Is online therapy as good as talking face-to-face with a clinician?

Apr 22, 2016 07:23 am UTC| Health

Smartphones, tablets and computers are increasingly expanding the availability of health services. This means we can access help anonymously at a time and place that suits us. Currently, only about one-third of people...

Meet the nanomachines that could drive a medical revolution

Apr 22, 2016 01:21 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology Health

A group of physicists recently built the smallest engine ever created from just a single atom. Like any other engine it converts heat energy into movement but it does so on a smaller scale than ever seen before. The atom...

Rules about how to behave in pregnancy diminish women’s freedom

Apr 21, 2016 23:38 pm UTC| Health

Being pregnant today means obeying an increasing number of rules. No smoking, drinking, or recreational drugs; avoiding particular foods; worrying about hair dye; worrying about prescription drugs in fact, worrying about...

What exercise does to your bones

Apr 21, 2016 07:16 am UTC| Health

When we think of bones, a lifeless skeleton usually comes to mind, but our bones are a living organ that grows and changes shape throughout our life. Much of this shaping results from forces which press, pull and twist the...

Future of Coal Series

Black lung's back? How we became complacent with coal miners' pneumoconiosis

Apr 21, 2016 07:06 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

The name black lung says it all. When miners inhale excessive amounts of coal dust, the fine air filtration system of the lungs sieves out the dust, which then remains permanently in the lung. These deposits can even be...

Explainer: what is Lyme disease and does it exist in Australia?

Apr 21, 2016 06:57 am UTC| Health

Ticks in Australia are a health risk. Reactions to their bites can be severe; they can cause life-threatening paralysis and allergies and transmit disease-causing pathogens. But it is the debate about Lyme disease and its...